Circa the 1870’s, we believe this Victorian 18k gold signet ring, was originally made for a child—but today looks great as a pinky ring! The signet features a family crest of an ungulate (a large hoofed animal) surrounded by a background of tiny stars. The crest is topped with a running hound-like animal. Below it, the phrase “Fortis et Seler” is written in Latin, which translates as “strong, courageous, and swift.” The phrase is written backwards, so that when the signet is pressed into a wax seal, the words will be reversed.
We can speculate this this is a child’s ring, perhaps Nobility, because it bears the crest of an aristocratic family and such gold items could only be afforded by the upperclass. We’ve included a reversed picture of the signet to show the Latin writing clearly. The ring has a little wear to it, as well as a beautiful patina.
Unmarked, acid tests as 18k. The ring weighs 5.15 grams. The face of the signet is approximately 3/8” x 3/8”.
This is a size 4, and could be resized up to a size 5. Proportionally, the ring looks best as a pinky ring.
